National

A teacher in New Jersey temporarily handed over her certifications after making homophobic remarks on social media.

Jenye ‘Viki’ Knox worked as a special educator in Union, New Jersey in 2011 when she first made Facebook comments regarding the school’s LGBT History Month bulletin board, according to Gay Star News.

When a friend asked for her opinion about the board, Knox said homosexuality is “a perverted spirit that has existed from the beginning of creation,” and it was a “sin” that “breeds like cancer.”

She also asked, “Why parade your unnatural immoral behaviors before the rest of us?”

The school gave her a three-month unpaid suspension for “conduct unbecoming” of a teacher.

Knox later resigned after and filed a federal lawsuit in 2013, claiming that school officials violated her right to free speech and religious rights. The lawsuit was settled but is under a confidentiality agreement.

The New Jersey Department of Education revoked all of her certificates, according to Gay Star News. Knox later appealed and proposed a suspension of her licences for three years.

The state Department of Education accepted the appeal in December 2017.